Abstract: According to the mesoscopic mechanics analysis on thermal expansion coefficients of composite materials, the thermal expansion coefficients of different layers in a GFRP tank are determined. Stress of the GFRP tank upon low-temperature environment and liquid freezing is simulated by using ANSYS. The change laws of the stresses and strains upon different ice thickness are discussed. The results show that additional stress is generated by low temperature and liquid freeze. There is no obvious difference between the stress and strain upon different ice thickness due to different thickness of the GFRP tank at different places. When being used in low temperature environments, it is recommended that low temperature and freezing condition should be involved in tank-design.

Key words: GFRP tank, liquid freezing, thermal expansion coefficient, stress analysis